June, 2020 | Horse Racing Free Tips

Asmussen Becomes All-Time Leading Trainer at Churchill

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen surpassed Dale Romans as the winningest trainer in the history of Churchill Downs Friday, sending out Drop Dead Gorgeous (Strong Mandate) to win the opening race on the program. The victory was his 738th at the historic Louisville oval.

“If anyone knows American horse racing, they know what Churchill Downs means to the sport,” Asmussen said. “This is a very significant honor. I know the people who have been in this spot before, and been here consistently, and for us to have won the most races is a very proud accomplishment.” (Click for a winner’s circle interview)

Asmussen registered a quick-fire double in race two with first-time starter Hulen (Tapiture), a horse bred in Texas by his father Keith Asmussen, a former jockey and trainer, and raced by long-time clients Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt. The winner is out of a mare by Valid Expectations, who Asmussen trained for the Ackerley Brothers to win the 1996 GIII Derby Trial S. in Louisville.

Born in Gettysburg, South Dakota, Nov. 18, 1965, Asmussen took out his first trainer’s license in 1986 and saddled his first winner at Ruidoso Downs that July. His first Churchill winner came during the Spring meeting of 1993 when Snake Eyes took a $41,420 allowance on the turf beneath Pat Day as the 2-1 favorite. Asmussen first brought a string of horses to Churchill for the 1996 Fall meet and has called the track home since the fall of 1997. The first of his record 22 local training titles came at the 2001 Fall meet.

A two-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer, Asmussen conditioned two winners of the GI Preakness S. in the span of three seasons, each with horses acquired privately and raced by Jess Jackson’s Stonestreet Stables in separate partnerships. Curlin (Smart Strike) turned the tables on 2007 GI Kentucky Derby hero Street Sense (Street Cry {Ire}) in that year’s Preakness S. before giving the trainer the first of seven Breeders’ Cup victories in the 2007 GI Classic at Monmouth Park. Rachel Alexandra (Medaglia d’Oro) was purchased privately off her towering victory in the 2009 GI Kentucky Oaks, and returned on two weeks’ rest to beat the boys at Old Hilltop. Curlin was named Horse of the Year in 2007 and in 2008 after adding the G1 Dubai World Cup, and Rachel Alexandra made it three straight HOY titles for Asmussen in 2009. Gun Runner (Candy Ride {Arg}) capped a Horse of the Year campaign in the 2017 Classic. Asmussen was inducted into racing’s Hall of Fame in Saratoga in 2016.

Among the other top horses conditioned by Asmussen are the Heiligbrodt-owned champion sprinter and Horse of the Year finalist Mitole (Eskendereya), Eclipse Award winner Midnight Bisou (Midnight Lute), Oaks winners Untapable (Tapit) and Summerly (Summer Squall)–both owned by the Winchell family–and GI Belmont S. hero Creator (Tapit). While he has yet to win the GI Kentucky Derby, Asmussen has sent out the runner-up twice with Nehro (Mineshaft, 2011); and Lookin At Lee (Lookin At Lucky, 2017). His 79 local stakes winners are second only to fellow Hall of Famer Bill Mott’s 95.

Asmussen also is a nine-time winner of the national training title in races won (2002, ’04-05, ’07-11 and ’13), including a record 650 wins in 2009. On Feb. 7, 2004, he won a North American record 10 races, including three stakes, from 16 starters at five racetracks (Delta Downs, Fair Grounds, Oaklawn Park, Sam Houston Race Park and Sunland Park).

Entering Friday’s action, Asmussen ranks second in career victories with 8,867, trailing Dale Baird (9,445) by 578 winners.

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Freshman Sire New Bay Off the Mark at Newbury

Ballylinch Stud resident New Bay (GB) (Dubawi {Ire}) became the latest freshman sire to strike when the appropriately named Charlie Fellowes trainee First Prophet (Ire) overcame greenness in Friday evening’s It’s Not Rocket Science With MansionBet EBF Novice S. at Newbury.

6th-Newbury, £6,400, Nov, 6-12, 2yo, 7fT, 1:27.03, gd.
FIRST PROPHET (IRE) (c, 2, New Bay {GB}–Lus Na Greine {Ire}, by Pour Moi {Ire}) was swiftly into stride and raced up front in a prominent third through halfway in this debut. An ominous presence to his rivals throughout, the well-backed 18-5 third choice remained hard on the steel until passing the quarter-mile marker and, despite rolling around briefly in front passing the eighth pole, quickened clear of toiling rivals under mild rousting in the closing stages to score by an impressive 1 1/2 lengths from Al Watan (Ire) (Dubawi {Ire}), becoming the first winner for his Ballylinch Stud-based freshman sire (by Dubawi {Ire}). “He jumped smartly, but we didn’t go particularly quick and we travelled nicely in a decent enough rhythm,” said winning rider James Doyle. “Charlie [Fellowes] told me he’d see out the trip nicely so I was keen to get him on the move early and he found plenty and did it nicely. He’s pencilled in for the [Listed] Chesham S. [at Royal Ascot] next week and we’ll see how he comes out of this, but he’s a relaxed character and didn’t have a hard race there.” Half to a yearling colt by Belardo (Ire), First Prophet is also the first winner for Lus Na Greine (Ire) (Pour Moi {Ire}), herself a half-sister to G3 Park Express S. victress and G1 Irish 1000 Guineas runner-up Rehn’s Nest (Ire) (Authorized {Ire}). His third dam Key To Coolcullen (Ire) (Royal Academy), a half-sister to G1 Phoenix S. heroine Eva Luna (Ire) (Double Schwartz {Ire}) and GSW sire Cois Na Tine (Ire) (Double Schwartz {Ire}), produced the stakes-placed Coolcullen Times (Ire) (Rock of Gibraltar {Ire}) and is also the second dam of G1 G1 Criterium International hero Loch Garman (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}). Sales history: €50,000 Ylg ’19 TIRSEP. Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $5,217.
1ST-TIME STARTER. O-D Blackstock & C Fellowes; B-Ennistown Stud (IRE); T-Charlie Fellowes.

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Albigna Poised For Guineas Assignment

Jessie Harrington has begun the season with a flourish and all the stars could be aligned for Albigna (Ire) (Zoffany {Ire}) to provide a first Classic success in Saturday’s G1 Tattersalls Irish 1000 Guineas at The Curragh. The Niarchos family’s homebred has stronger claims at this stage of her career than the 2018 heroine Alpha Centauri (Ire) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}), having won the six-furlong G2 Airlie Stud S. here in June and G1 Prix Marcel Boussac at ParisLongchamp in October before finishing fourth in the GI Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. “She’s in great form, she’s going to be very fresh and well, but she has been away to The Curragh twice so at least she has been on the lorry and done a gallop away from home,” her trainer said. “She just didn’t quite get round the first bend at Santa Anita, then flew home. She ran great out there and came home from America really well. She did well all over the winter. Her draw [in 13] is not great, but we will hope for the best.”

Drawn outside of Albigna in 14 is Fancy Blue (Ire) (Deep Impact {Jpn}), one of the Coolmore partnership’s four representatives but one who has perhaps the greatest attention on her as Donnacha O’Brien’s first Classic runner. Unbeaten and successful in the Listed Staffordstown Stud S. over this course and distance in October, the relative of High Chaparral (Ire) approaches her big test in top order according to O’Brien Jr. “She’s gone very strong and she’s grown a little bit, so she’s done very well from two to three. We’re very happy with how things have gone,” he said. “She’s adaptable ground-wise, I wouldn’t mind a bit of juice as she bends her knee and won on slow ground at The Curragh last year. I’m not too concerned either way, but I’d be happy if it was good ground or around that.”

Donnacha’s brother Joseph O’Brien has a duo in Mark Dobbin’s outsider Brook On Fifth (Ire) (Champs Elysees {GB}) and Healthy Wood Co Limited’s New York Girl (Ire) (New Approach {Ire}). The latter was breaking her maiden on only her second start in the G3 Weld Park S. over seven furlongs here in September and their trainer said on Friday, “They are both in good form and New York Girl has done nothing wrong. The step up to a mile will suit well, as she will be seen to best effect over further as the season goes on. We’re hoping for a good run, but it’s a very hot race.”

There is obviously the usual Ballydoyle presence too, with a duo from that establishment adding to a total of five trained by the O’Brien family. Seamie Heffernan is on the Listed Montrose Fillies’ S. runner-up Peaceful (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}), who earned ‘TDN Rising Star’ status on her prior start when scoring by seven lengths over this trip at Thurles in October having been ninth on debut behind another ‘TDN Rising Star’ in the Aga Khan’s Ridenza (Ire) (Sea the Stars {Ire}) over seven furlongs at Leopardstown in August. Ridenza sustained an injury during that race and trainer Mick Halford will be performing a masterclass if he can produce her to win this on her first subsequent start. “She’s a beautifully-bred filly, by Sea the Stars out of a good mare we had called Raydara, who won the [G2] Debutante for us,” he said. “She’s always shown us plenty from the very beginning and we always liked her, so it was no surprise she won at Leopardstown. Ronan [Whelan] gave her a beautiful ride on the day from a bad draw and she was very professional. Unfortunately for us and for her she returned to the unsaddling enclosure and was lame, it turned out she had fractured her pastern. She had an operation the next morning and stood in for a couple of months. She’s progressed really well since then, she took the operation really well and her recovery was good. We’ve brought her along slowly and she’s in very good form now.”

Also on The Curragh’s card is the G2 Lanwades Stud S., with the much-travelled Magic Wand (Ire) (Galileo {Ire}) having a rare domestic outing following a winter chasing major international prizes. Successful in Flemington’s G1 Mackinnon S. in November, the 5-year-old ran a short-head second in the G1 Hong Kong Cup the following month before filling the same spot for the second year in Gulfstream Park’s G1 Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational Jan. 25. Given a break since her subsequent ninth in the Feb. 29 Saudi Cup on dirt, she has to give three pounds to all including Tan Kai Chah’s unexposed impressive Listed Garnet S. winner Silk Forest (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}).

Newbury also hosts a fascinating card, with the G3 Diomed S. seeing the return of last year’s G1 St James’s Palace S. runner-up and ‘TDN Rising Star’ King of Comedy (Ire) (Kingman {GB}). Staged over 113 yards shorter than when traditionally staged on Epsom’s Derby day card, another of the races to be moved courses in this unusual period also features last year’s winner Zaaki (GB) (Leroidesanimaux {Brz}). John Gosden said of Lady Bamford’s homebred, “King of Comedy is finding his way back and will come on a great deal for any race he has, though he did make a winning start at Yarmouth last year. The track and the distance will suit him.”

Earlier on the Berkshire venue’s fixture is the Listed Abingdon Fillies’ S., which could prove the main English pointer to the G1 Epsom Oaks with its ideal positioning three weeks ahead of that Classic. Cheveley Park Stud’s ‘TDN Rising Star’ Cabaletta (GB) (Mastercraftsman {Ire}) beat the impressive subsequent winner Frankly Darling (GB) (Frankel {GB}) on her sole start at Yarmouth in October and trainer Roger Varian is expecting a bold show. “Cabaletta is training nicely and is coming into herself at the right time. She stays well and will handle softer conditions, as it was testing conditions when she won at Yarmouth,” he explained. “The form doesn’t need talking about, as we all saw how the second Frankly Darling won up at Newcastle. She is a filly with a bright future and this is a lovely starting point for her. A track like Newbury on easy ground will suit her well.”

Lining up against Cabaletta is Kirsten Rausing’s Oriental Mystique (GB) (Kingman {GB}), the David Simcock-trained daughter of their G1 Qipco British Champions Fillies & Mares S. heroine Madame Chiang (GB) (Archipenko). She beat the impressive subsequent handicap winner Declared Interest (GB) (Declaration of War) and the Listed UAE 1000 Guineas scorer Dubai Love (GB) (Night of Thunder {Ire}) when last seen at Kempton in November and is as exciting a prospect as there is among the 3-year-old filly ranks.

John Gosden relies on Juddmonte’s Franconia (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who was second on her debut at Chelmsford in November. “She is a nice filly and she ran well first time out on her only start. She was ready to run in a mile-and-a-quarter fillies’ maiden earlier on, but as that was lost she is running over the same trip in a listed race. It is just typical of what has happened this year–you have to do some slightly unconventional things. I’ve been very happy with her. She is still learning as she is not that experienced, but it’s a nice, big galloping track which is nice for a filly like that.”

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Sceptical Rerouted to Diamond Jubilee

Sceptical (GB) (Exceed and Excel {Aus}) will bypass Tuesday’s G1 King’s Stand S. in favour of the G1 Diamond Jubilee on the final day of Royal Ascot. The winner of four of five career races, the Hilltop Racing representative posted a three-length tally most recently in the Listed Woodlands S. at Naas June 8.
Trainer Denis Hogan tweeted: “After discussing with @RacingHilltop +jockeys, weighing up all options, we have decided in the best interest and welfare of the horse–and considering long season ahead–to skip the King’s Stand in favour of the Diamond Jubilee on Saturday allowing him five extra days.”
Coral made Sceptical the 3-1 favourite for the Diamond Jubilee, while Battaash is now 4-6 favourite (from 11-10) for the King’s Stand.

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